Hardware
Presented on this page are hardware items from the BC&G and ERC&L company that were used in the operation of the railroad. Unless otherwise noted, these items are part of my collection. Additional items from collections of visitors to the website are welcome, in fact, encouraged. It would be wonderful to see how many items of this nature are in collections around the country.
KEROSENE LANTERN - This is one of the most prized items in my collection...a BC&G Adlake kerosene lantern that has never been lit. The wick and inside of the chimney portion of the lantern are absolutely brand new. The stamp on the bottom indicates this lantern was made in 1962, probably making it one of the newest BC&G lanterns! It was obtained from Richard Manning.
SWITCH LOCK - Somewhat more common, but still a nice piece of memorabilia is this BC&G switch lock. The letters 'BC&G' are stamped in small letters on the back. The same intials are quite visible on the switch lock keys. These items were acquired from Richard Manning. Currently in Stover collection.
SCRIP - Scrip was a form of currency issued by companies for use by employees in company stores. The 5-cent piece in the cardboard wrapper was a gift from BC&G fan Frank Criswell purchased on E-Bay. The other pieces were a generous gift from Patsy Baughman.
YARD OFFICE PHONE - This phone sat in the yard office in Dundon. It was received from Richard Manning.
CLIMAX #3 BUILDER'S PLATE - According to Richard Manning, when Climax #3 was rebuilt in the Dundon shops in preparation for sale to the tourist line, he had the original builders plate removed and sent to Charleston whre a duplicate was made. The duplicate was put on the engine before it was sold and Richard kept the original. Climax #3 was the last Climax ever built, so this plate has significant historic value. The engine is at Roaring Camp and Big Trees RR in California, in derelict condition.
INSULATORS - These insulators came from poles near the yard office in Dundon. They came from Richard Manning.
1925 ERC&L BANK BOOK - This bankbook was obtained from Richard Manning. It is the Clay County Bank record of the ERC&L account for 1925. All the entries are made by hand, of course.
OIL LAMP FROM DINING CAR X-6 - This lamp came from Dining Car X-6 according to Richard Manning from whom I acquired it.
BC&G #4 NUMBER PLATE - This is a reproduction of the numberplate that #4 carried under the headlight on her boilerfront. It was made by the Master Mechanic (left above) of the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC as part of a BC&G reunion held in 1993 to comemorate the 30th anniversary of the final run from Swandale. Four of these reproductions were made. The one in my collection was on the engine during the time I rode in the cab.
BC&G LOCOMOTIVE WHISTLES and OTHER ITEMS - If you can't have the whole locomotive, then Cody Burdette has the next best things in his collection...whistles from several of the BC&G engines! Cody collects whistles of all types and has provided this photo of the BC&G / ERC&L portion of his collections. From left to right are whistles from #4, #14, #16 and #57. The air gauges are from #57. The wheel and axle in the background are from one of the lumber buggies on the docks at Swandale. There is a BC&G lock laying on top of the one of the two oil cans from Shay #19 (lower left front). In the lower right is a BC&G kerosene lantern. What a spectacular collection, Cody!! Thanks for sharing this photo!
PLYMOUTH LOCOMOTIVE WATCH FOB - This is truly a one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia! This brass watch fob measuring 1-1/2" by 1- 1/4" was presented to Theodore Burdette by the 'factory man' from Plymouth Locomotive Company on the day he instructed Theordore on the proper operation of the new engine, ERC&L #20. According to Cody, Theordore's son, the presentation of the fob took place while the engine was sitting on the shop track at Swandale. An image of a Plymouth diesel adorns the front and the name "Ted Burdette" is stamped on the reverse side. This fob is now in the collection of Frank Criswell.
SWANDALE WATER PUMP - This photo was provided by Cody Burdette of a pump from upper Swandale that it in his collection of memorabilia. The only thing Cody had to replace was the handle. Pumps like this were located in several places around Swandale. He recalls being part of a bucket brigade that pumped water from one of these wells to do battle with a house fire.
TOOLS OF THE SWANDALE NIGHT WATCHMAN - Cody Burdette served as the night watchman for the Swandale mill for a period in the late 1950s, when he was 19 years old. In the lower left of the photo (left) is the carbide lamp Cody carried while doing his rounds. The carbide was stored in the large drums. Next to the lamp is the time clock he carried and one of the twelve key stations he went to each hour and its key. The stations were scattered around the entire mill complex and making the circuit constitituted "quite a trip in the deep snow with wind howling". Cody earned $1.15 per hour
Ed Kirstatter visited the BC&G on several occassions in the last years of its operation. On one trip he acquired this Adlake lantern embossed with the letters "BC&G". If you look carefully, you can see that Ed lit the lantern for this photograph. He says that it has the same kerosene in it that it had when he brought it home all those years ago!
Notice that the globe in this lantern is red, making it a brakeman's lantern. Compare this with the blue globe in the lantern higher on the page which would have been used to signify work going on around a train.
Tom Clay, of Huntington, WV and a collector of memorabilia from WV railroads has provided these images of a BC&G lock and key that are in his collection. This lock is cast, a completly different design from the lock further up on the page. It has a number stamped on the back of the loop portion. The key also has a number.
Tom Clay also has this kerosene lantern, very similar to the ones in Brooks Stover's and Ed Kirstatter's collections. The date on the bottom of the lantern is 1936. The clear globe is etched with the letters "BC&G RR" as well as "ENG 13", just visible in the photo above.
The items below were originally the property of Theordore Burdette, ERC&L engineer. For many years they were in the collection of Cody Burdette, his son and are currently in the collection of BC&G fan Frank Criswell. These items would have likely been carried on both ERC&L Shay #19 and Climax #3 at one time or another.
KEROSENE LAMP - This simple conical lamp was used for general lighting. The wick at the top burned kerosene.
OIL POT - This tea pot-like vessel held oil for lubricating around the locomotive. It is embossed B&O RR on the bottom.
BC&G LANTERN - Black kerosene lantern with "BC&G" embossed on top.
SWITCH LOCK - An Adlake switch lock with BC&G key
ENGINEER'S WATCH - This Hamilton time piece was carried by Theodore Burdette.
Kim Solomon, Patsy Baughman's daughter, built this wonderful, rustic table with shelves to display her collection of BC&G mementos. The stencil work makes it appear that it was built from lumber from the BC&G !
